US Attorney Convicted in UAE of Money Laundering Released After Paying $1.4 Million Fine

A US attorney who was convicted in the United Arab Emirates of money laundering and of a tax-invasion scheme, was released and returned to the United States. Asim Ghafoor, a US citizen who was the former attorney for murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, paid a $1.4 million fine before being freed on Saturday, his attorney told the AFP news agency, while his three-year jail term was rescinded. Ghafoor does not face any charges in the United States, according to the attorney. The US embassy in the UAE helped facilitate Ghafoor’s release, the attorney said. Ghafoor was arrested and jailed last month while transiting Dubai airport, according to reports. The case did not have anything to do with his ties to Khashoggi, the Washington Post journalist who was murdered at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in a hit the US says was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, according to reports. Ghafoor also works with human rights groups that have been critical of the UAE.